All Topics

• No Long-Term Relief From Opiods

  Jamie Sheller | January 20, 2007 3:30 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Patients with chronic back pain may get short-term relief from opiods. However, according to a new report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, opiods are not very effective for long-term use. In addition, opiods carry a significant risk of addiction. A quarter of the patients studied who were taking opiods, displayed substance abuse behavior. After analyzing several studies looking at...

• Rise In Intracerebral Bleeding Followed Rise In Coumadin Use

  Jamie Sheller | January 11, 2007 11:52 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  A report in the most recent issue of Neurology, found that in the 1990's, the rate of cerebral hemorrhage associated with Coumadin use quintupled. During the same time, there was in increased use of Coumadin, an anticoagulant. Coumadin, also known as warfarin, is used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. The researchers stressed that Coumadin should still be used when...

• Risk of Teen Car Accidents High

  Jamie Sheller | January 09, 2007 9:46 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Due to the high risk of teen car accidents, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised parents to be cautious about handing over the car keys to their teen children. Many parents are excited about the new convenience of having a teen licensed to drive, but Dr. Dennis Durbin of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia states that "This supposed rite of passage is fraught with danger." Dr. Durbin...

• Bogus Diet Pill Claims Lead To FTC Fines

  Jamie Sheller | January 05, 2007 12:34 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Four makers of over-the-counter weight-loss products have been fined by the FTC for false advertising. The fines totaled $25 million, with Bayer, the maker of One-A-Day Weight Smart, receiving the largest civil penalty ever given out by the agency, at $3.2 million. None of the four products involved, TrimSpa, One-A-Day Weight Smart, Cortislim and Xenadrine, were removed from store shelves,...

• New Warnings for Tamiflu

  Jamie Sheller | November 14, 2006 2:27 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Recently, Roche Laboratories, the maker of Tamiflu, revised the package insert of the flu drug. The new insert describes neuropsychiatric events that have been reported in patients using Tamiflu. There have been reports of self-injury and delirium with the use of Tamiflu, particularly in children. Roche recommends that patients with the flu, who have been treated with Tamiflu, be closely...

• New Precautions For The Use of Gleevec

  Jamie Sheller | October 20, 2006 12:52 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Recently, Novartis notified doctors of a revision in the labeling of Gleevec. The Precautions Section of the Gleevec label will now include a statement that there have been reports of patients who have developed severe congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction while using Gleevec. The new labeling came after Nature Medicine published an article which looked at 10 Gleevec...

• Permanent Recall By Bausch & Lomb

  Jamie Sheller | May 18, 2006 11:37 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Bausch & Lomb permanently recalled its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution. According to the company's CEO, the recall is worldwide and the product will not be reintroduced. Recently ReNu with MoistureLoc had been linked to a rising number of U.S. infections with the fusarium keratitis fungus, and Bausch & Lomb halted shipment of the product. As of May 12, 2006, the Centers for...

• Warning Issued For Suicide Risk Of Paxil

  Jamie Sheller | May 16, 2006 8:31 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  The FDA and GlaxoSmithKline issued a warning letter regarding the risk of suicide in young Paxil users. A recently anaylzed clinical trial demonstrated a higher frequency of suicidal behavior in young adults using Paxil, as opposed to those given a dummy pill. Paxil is an antidepressant manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. There is also a controlled release version of Paxil, called Paxil CR,which...

• New Study Confirms Vioxx Defects

  Jamie Sheller | May 06, 2006 4:45 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  A recently completed study by Canadian researchers, shows that the increased risk of heart attacks caused by Vioxx, begins very soon after starting the drug. This seems to be a contradiction of earlier reports that the Vioxx risk only affected long-term users of the drug. This recent study also shows that the risk of heart attacks from Vioxx does not immediately stop after a patient stops...

• Vioxx Trial Results In $13.5 Million Ruling Against Merck

  Jamie Sheller | April 17, 2006 9:57 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  An Atlantic City jury awarded a total of $13.5 million in damages to a plaintiff who alleged that his heart attack was caused by Vioxx. This verdict dealt a big blow to Merck because the trial happened in Merck's own backyard, less than 100 miles from the company's headquarters in Whitehouse Station, NJ. John McDarby took Vioxx for 4 years and had a heart attack in 2004. The jury found that...